I’ve heard about Santorini in ’96, when my parents took 24 hour ferry from Thessaloniki in order to reach the dreamy island. My mom brought black and red sand and they have it as a deco in the room for almost 30 years now. Recently, I saw a photo of a friend of a friend visiting Santorini in April and seeing there were 0 crowds I said it is now or never. Okay before it was now or never I checked the return flight price from Thessaloniki and it was a deal, 53 eur return ticket with Volotea. I didn’t know anything about this company before the flight, but so far my experience was very positive.

And off we go. We left our car at the Thessaloniki Ariport. If you are planning a trip of 4-5 days it will cost you 40 euros, and it is directly in front of the terminal building. if you feel like saving you can find cheaper option to leave your car around Thessaloniki area on the ParkVia website, but then then a bit of driving is happening, but the prices go down to -50%.

We chose going to Santorini from Monday to Friday in order to avoid the crowds, it was the last week of May, being considered as low season on the island, accommodation was still available for normal prices. However, judging by the crowds in some of the spots, I think I do not want to know what happens in high season.
I read on many blogs that it is not recommended to go by car to Santorini, because it can get busy, but I guess in this period you can still rent one. We made the choice to try it on a public transport, so we decided for accommodation in the capital Thira, and 1 minute walking from the bus station.

Our hotel was called Sunrise and if you ask me it was great, spacious room, generous breakfast, pool, even though central you cant hear the crowds so all in all we were happy with it. It is not on the cliff but for the plan we had it was perfect. Our trip went like this

Hotel: Hotel Sunrise
Recommendation: Student dorm and a hotel amazing, clean location is not central but it is in a popular neighbourhood.
Breakfast included: NO
Price: $$
Payment: Cash & Card

DAY 0 – ARRIVAL

Arrived some minutes before 11PM. There were no signs of busses, but there were many signs of private shuttles, offering 12 euros per person to Thira/Fira. I decided for the bus, even though not being sure if it is coming and not having anyone to ask about it.
It was there and in less then 10 minutes we were in Thira, I consider this a good deal. We checked what was opened and Yogi Gyro seemed like the safest choice.
The town felt overwhelming at first sight, with all the night clubs but we said we aren to going to be judgemental, until we experience it by day.

DAY 1 – THIRA & OIA HIKING

The day started with visiting the old port in Thira. Was this the smartest thing to do on a very hot day? I don’t think so. There were more than 100 donkeys strolling up and down, and you are the one that needs to give them way, It was interesting in the first 2 minutes, but then not any more.
Once we were down we said no way to do the same thing up, and wanted to use the gondola, except the line for it was probably 2-3 hours long. The price for gondola was 6euros one way , donkey ride was 10 euros, and not an option for us, so up in the air in 20 minutes we reached the city.

Then we started the stroll towards Firostefani and Imerovigli admiring all the beautiful houses and hotels, until we reached a point, where we realised we do not have any more water. It was right in front of the Nobu hotel, so we decided to make a stop there.
Right after it started the real hike to Oia, on the way there was the fast food Snack Shop and then some more unpaved road. We arrived in Oia right in time to explore, check out all the streets, eat ice cream, and find an available sunset spot. This was not on my wish list but you need to take care of the wishes of others. 

Our restaurant for the night was Sunsets Santorini, they have small menu, and they ask for a minimum spending of 50 eur. for the lower floor, and 70 eur. per person on the upper floor. I personally wanted to visit more traditional restaurant like Lotza, or the ones I hade saved on my map like Oenosart  and Roka.
The city really got even better dimension once the sun was away and it gave the picture perfect vibe.
The crowds after the sunset are huge so wait some minutes before you decide to leave.
Also make sure to come even 15 minutes before the scheduled bus time to Thira, because the line gets long, and not everyone gets spot on the vehicle.

DAY 2 – LIGHTHOUSE – AKROTIRI – RED BEACH – PERISSA – PYRGOS

The day we decided to rent a buggy, our decision where to take the one from was based on google maps reviews and also on availability. In many of the spots it is better to arrange it in advance, otherwise it is pure luck that you manage to get one immediately. We walked the extra mile to Santorni Motor Club with a very good rate compared to the rest on the island, and very attentive owner, recommending it 100%.

The tour started with a stop at the Lighthouse, nothing to do there and feel free to skip it. Then the red beach, with the very nice beach bar, Kaminia Beach. We then continued toward Akriotiri, stopped for the Windmills at Emporio and parked at Agios Georgios. Then made a stroll in the empty boardwalk and decided to sit for gyros in one of the spots.
In this area between Perissa and Agios Georgios, there are plenty of nice beach bars, and with different price ranges and offer also with asian fusion kitchen and Bali vibes, most of them at this time were empty. 

The next move was to the highest spot of the island the Moni Profiti Ilia monastery and since it started becoming very windy we continued towards Pyrgos. The village was one of my most favourite spots, very empty and according to the Greeks the most authentic place on the island. The souvenirs were cheaper here, there were 3-4 cafes at the square and plus some on top of the village, the most known being Franco’s. However we chose KASTELANA Photography Gallery – Cafe for our break, as the wind was blowing so strong and this seemed like a better option.

We thought of going home, but then saw that the Santo Wines winery was just 5 minutes buggy drive away and we went for it. It was very touristy, enormous, and they also had the minimum spend rule if you want to sit in the first row. We just took a glass but having in mind that the island has many other smaller wineries, I would leave this place to the big groups visitors.
We thought of finishing the day at the Ftelos Brewery, but we only managed to arrive there 15 minutes before closing due the traffic on the road to Thira so we’ve skipped it and had dinner in our room, from the first nights gyros spot.

DAY 3 – THIRA – EXO GONIA

Woke up with the thought, wow we saw everything! Are 2 days truly enough?! But then we didn’t take any time to chill, or explore Thira, so that is what we’ve decided to do. After the breakfast we wanted to go for a better coffee outside, and sat at the Volkan on the Rocks by Ergon Agora, the view was amazing service attentive and on the opposite side is maybe the nicest shop in Santorini, a bookshop called: Atlantis Books.
We were then strolling by the streets that we missed on our first day, but I must admit I was a bit disappointed as most of the shops were selling the same souvenirs, and I was really hoping for some island arts and crafts.
In the afternoon we chilled around the pool, but since we are people of action, on a 1,2,3 let’s go we’ve dressed up and took the bus to Exo Gonia.

The reason why we went here is because one restaurant kept appearing over and over every blog post I read, before going to Santorini – Metaxi Mas. The bus controller tried to convince us not to go there as it is 45 minutes walking from the station, truth is it is 15 minutes walk, over paved stairs. Reservation in season is a must because the place is not huge, they have traditional food, you need to eat “the grass dish” here, but also everything on the menu was super decent and the portions were huge.
Just as a note, this is not a sunset restaurant.
We’ve spent the night exploring Thira, but I must admit it is too loud for my taster.
Am I too old? I don’t think so.

DAY 4 – KAMARI

Our last days’ spot was supposed to be easy to reach and easy to reach the airport. The choice was either Kamari or Monolithos. maybe the later one would have been a smarter choice, as there is airport connection, but we’ve decided for Kamari because of unknown reasons. Maybe because the busses were the most frequent?!
Typical beach town, souvenir shops, endless promenade with restaurants and beach bars.
The beach bars were bit less chic compared to the Perissa area, but there were way more crowds and thins to do.
We’ve decided for or better said the most convincing guy was the one of La Casa de Jorge beach bar. Spent some hours here and ended our trip totally unplanned at Gaia Winery, another highlight of the trip.

To be honest how we really ended the trip was by walking from the winery to the airpot and I would 100% not recommend, but finding a cab was tricky, shuttle needed to be pre-scheduled, so don’t be like me.
There are even more places that can be visited when in Santorini, like Megalochori or doing boat trip, visiting the Volcano, but I think we’ve covered a good deal of it, especially considering being dependent on the public transport.
The only place I regret not going is the Ammoudi Bay in Oia, after taking the stairs down and back in Thira I thought this would not be worth it, but I think I was wrong.

Should you go to Santorini, in my opinion definitively yes, maybe I wouldn’t take it as a single island trip, but rather as a combo of at least one more island, unless you are more in the chill mode.
Regarding the public transport, have in mind that the capital Thira is the connecting spot, and when you think of the cheaper accommodation in Perissa, pay a thought that you would need longer commuting time, especially by bus, and change is needed in Thira.

I thought I’ll leave the rest of the Cyclades for old days, but spontaneously I found a website called ferry hopper, and I already have my next island hopping trip in the drawer.

Also, cheers on 100 posts! And have fun wherever you are going.

If you found this post useful, you can check out the food spots guide I have compiled with my 22 favorite spots and a google maps list. Short Santorini Food Guide